At least six people have died after a devastating fire broke out in a residential building in the Uttara area of Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka. Three of the victims were members of the same family, police have confirmed.
The fire started at around 07:50 local time on Friday in a second-floor apartment of a seven-storey building on Road 18 in Sector 11 of Uttara. Several residents were trapped inside the flat as the blaze spread rapidly.
The victims have been identified as Fazle Rabbi, 38, Haris, 52, and Rahab, 17—members of the same family. The other deceased are Afsana, 14-year-old Rodela Akter, and a two-and-a-half-year-old child named Risan.
Uttara West Police Station officer-in-charge Rafiqul Ahmed said three members of the same family died at Kuwait Maitree Hospital, two others died at Uttara Specialised Hospital, and one victim died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Fire Service and Civil Defence officials said they were alerted to the incident four minutes after the fire began. Two firefighting units from Uttara Fire Station reached the scene at 07:58 and began rescue and firefighting operations.
“The fire was brought under control by 08:25 and fully extinguished by 10:00,” said Talha Bin Jasim, a media officer at the Fire Service headquarters.
The cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed. Authorities said an investigation is under way to determine how the blaze started.
